Pat Hubbard

Pat Hubbard was born Patricia Flynn in San Bernardino, California in 1946. She was raised in Victorville, California, graduating from Victor Valley High School in 1965. She graduated from Cambridge University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management and a minor in Social Services. She was married in 1972 to David Loren Hubbard from Riverton Wyoming. They raised three children together. Mrs. Hubbard began her career in 1982 as a Teacher’s Aide in a resource elementary school room working with children, five through twelve years of age. She then accepted a job with the Wyoming State Training Center’s preschool program in Lander Wyoming and helped develop a new preschool program when the school was contracted out to a private owner. Throughout Mrs. Hubbard’s career she has focused on continuing education for the client’s she serves. In 2004, she was hired by a Tribal Clinic and developed a preschool on tribal land.

While developing the preschool she searched in book stores and preschool magazines to find a preschool reading program that focused on each letter of the alphabet as the main character of a complete story. She was unsuccessful in finding complete stories about each alphabet letter that would capture the imagination of the children she taught.

She then began to write alphabet books at home as she taught the children their ABC’s.  The books worked and continue to work today! The children recognize and learn each alphabet letter while enjoying the adventures of their new alphabet friends. Learning can be fun!

Gene & Kaitlyn Vance

Illustrations for the ABC series were done by Gene Vance, assisted by his twelve-year-old daughter, Kaitlyn (who actually illustrated four of the books by herself.)

Gene works full time as a schoolteacher, teaching English, Beginning Art and Digital Media, and has only recently gone back to doing any private illustration, preferring to spend the bulk of his free time with family, playing music as a hobby, and exploring new avenues of the merging of art and technology. 

“The thing which drew me to work on the series was the desire to reach children with innocent, fun stories which allowed for contemporary artistic interpretation that they could identify with.  I brought my daughter into the project because she seems to have a gift for drawing and music, and could approach the books from a kid’s point of view.  For this reason, much of my work (beyond that which she illustrated herself) is influenced by her opinions and ideas (she also helped with inking and color on other books.)  I honestly feel that she has great-untapped talent which has yet to be developed as she gets older.

It is my hope that this series of books will make children think of letters, words and ideas as the friends we have portrayed them as, leading to a renewed love of learning and language, and equipping them with tools for success in the future.”

Contact proof reader: ladyfiddler@sbcglobel.net
Contact artist: genev3000@sbcglobel.net